Wheel stop



S. W. HAYES March -6 1956 WH EL STOP 4 Sheets-Sheet l Filed March 16 0 M J B a March 6, 1956 s. w. HAYES 2.737,]25

WHEEL STOP Filed March 16 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 n l I dfa/ngw agw March 6, 1956 s. w. HAYES 2,737,125

WHEEL STOP Filed March 16 1950 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 QJMW/M a Wal a S. W. HAYES March 6, 1956 WHEEL STOP 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed March 16 .1950

I JIM lu United States Patent WHEEL STOP Stanley W. Hayes, Richmond, Ind assignor to Hayes Track Appliance Company, Richmond, End, a corporation of Indiana Application March 16, 1950, Serial No. 150,036 11 Claims. (Cl. re F258 The present invention relates generally to wheel stops used on railway tracks and in particular to an improved wheel stop which is clamped against sliding movement on the rail.

The rigid wheel stop of this invention is clamped on the rail against movement therealong and is to be distinguished from the sliding type wheel stops which under impact are designed to slide on the top of the rail and include means extending below the rail whereby the ties and ballast absorb the impact shock.

Rigid wheel stops are particularly useful under conditions where the car wheels must absolutely not go beyond a fixed limit, or where railway cars are infrequently switched into the track and slow switching is not objectionable, or where a track endsagainst navigable or other water and it is very necessary that the car wheels do not go beyond a certain line. A rigid wheel stop may be used to protect a business car, a private car or car where the occupants sleep. It is also useful to profeet a car loaded with explosive or easily damaged lading. Frequently rolling track equipment is moved on the top of fiat or other cars, and a rigid wheel stop is used on the tracks built on such cars to prevent movement of the equipment ofi the car. They find similar uses on sea trains and car floats.

Many rigid type wheel stops have been designed and put into use but only a few have proved to be rigid or immovable. One of these includes bolts which pass through the rail web; the disadvantages of this arrangement' are obvious. Another form of the rigid prior art stop is that which is welded to the rail. Most of the others are designed to have a friction grip on the rail or the rail head. These sometimes do not move at impact and at other times they do. There is no Way to use them so as to be certain they are either slidable or rigid. And after they have become worn from use they are more apt to slide than not to slide.

When the prior art stop is designed to have a friction grip or to clamp onto the rail head, a different size stop must be provided for small and large rail heads. The manufacturer and railroad must carry a large and varied stock which would be unnecessary if a single rigid type wheel stop can be provided to fit rails of all sizes and heights.

One of the principal objects of this invention is to provide a novel rigid wheel stop which overcomes all of the disadvantages inherent in the prior art stops.

Another important object is to provide a novel rigid wheel stop which is simple yet rugged in construction.

Another object is to provide a novel rigid wheel stop which is less expensive to manufacture than other wheel stops.

Another object is to provide a novel rigid wheel stop which has no parts to wear out.

Another object is to provide a novel rigid wheel stop which when mounted on a rail will stay fixed and requires no expenditure for maintenance.

2,737,125 Patented Mar. 6, 1956 ICC Another object is the provision of a novel rigid wheel stop which stops the car wheels absolutely and restricts them to a fixed predetermined point.

Still another object is the provision of a novel rigid wheel stop which .is adapted to be mounted upon rails of various heights without modification of the stop structure and which, therefore, may easily be moved from place to place.

A further object is the provision of an improved rigid wheel stop which is securely clamped to the rails and, therefore, no drilling, welding or other modification of the rails is necessary.

And still a further object: is to provide a novel rigid wheel stop which upon the first impact wedges itself into position by means of a clamp" having" apart extending beneath the rail.

And another object is to" provide a novel rigid wheel stop which is securely clamped to the rail by means of a clamping assembly having a loop extending beneath the rails and so mounted and connected that upon impact the loop will swing and its arms will not bend.

And a further object is to provide a novel rigid wheel stop which is securely clamped to the rail by means of a clamping assembly having a loop extending beneath the rails, the loop having hardened parts which press themselves into the steel of the rail and when so positioned will remain until deliberately removed.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. l is a perspective view showing a pair of wheel stops constructed according to the present invention mounted adjacent the end of a switch track;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of a preferred form of wheel stop constructed according to the present invention;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the wheel stop shown in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is a front elevational view;

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially along the line 5-5 of Fig. 3 looking in the direction of the arrows;

Fig. 6 is a side elevational view of a modified form of the wheel stop of this invention;

Fig. 7 is a plan view of the wheel stop shown in Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a'f'ront elevational view of the wheel stop shown in Fig. 6;

I Fig. 9 is an enlarged detail view, partially in section, illustrating. the coac'tion of the clamping loop withrails of different height; and

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary cross-sectional view taken on the line 10-40 of Fig. 9 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Throughout the specification and in the appended claims the wheel stop of this invention may be referred to as a rigid wheel stop to distinguish it from the sliding or slidable type wheel stop such as is illustrated and claimed in the patent of Stanley W. Hayes, Reissue No. 23,180, dated December 6, 1949.

Referring first to the principal form of the invention which is shown in Figs. 1 to 5 of the drawings, the reference character 10 indicates the wheel stop in its entirety. Ordinarily, as shown in Fig. 1, a pair of wheel stops is used for each track, one wheel stop ll? being mounted on each rail A of the track, and the two are so arranged that when a car is switched against the stops the leading wheels will strike both stops substantially simultaneously.

The wheel stop of the present invention comprises three main parts-(,1) an abutment plate 12, (2) a clamp assembly 14 and (3 front and rear centering guides 16.

The abutment plate 12 is made from rolled steel plate or bar stock preferably one inch thick. The plate 12 has a generally triangular shape, and on its forward edge is provided with a pair of abutment surfaces 18 and 29. The abutment surface 18 rises vertically above the track, and is of such height that a wheel of normal size will strike it immediately upon contacting the stop. The abutment surface 20, referred to as the lower abutment, is deposed at an angle of 45 to the horizontal and to the abutment surface 18. The abutment surface is so arranged and so related to the abutment surface 13 that a wheel of normal size will contact it and the abutment surface 18 substantially simultaneously. When an undersize wheel contacts the stop, it will strike the abutment surface 20 first and if the caris traveling with sufficient speed will ride up on it to contact the abutment surface 18 before coming to a complete stop. A more complete description of the construction and use of the abutment surfaces 18 and 20 is found in the previously mentioned reissue patent. And, if desired, the Wheel abutment surfaces may be arranged as shown and described in the patent of Stanley W. Hayes, No. 2,441,148, dated May 11, 1948.

The abutment plate 12 is of triangular shape and so dimensioned that a substantial part of the force of the impact against the stop will be transferred downwardly to the rail. It will be observed from Fig. 2 that the largest dimension of the abutment plate is in the horizontal dimension which in the particular embodiment shown is slightly over two feet; the abutment plate is seventeen inches high at the abutment face 18. These dimensions are not limitative in nature but are typical of a construction found to be highly satisfactory.

The centering device 16 comprises a pair of U-shaped bars 22 welded to the front and rear edges 24 and 26, respectively, of the abutment plate 12. The bars 22 are so shaped as to straddle the head of the rail and to fit closely against the sides thereof as shown clearly in Figs. 4 and 5. The legs of the U-shaped bars 22 need only be sufficiently long to engage against the sides of the rail head.

The clamping device 14 includes a loop 28 comprised of a pair of generally vertically extending bolts 30 having threaded upper ends 32. At their lower ends the bolts are interconnected by a crossbar 34 which is welded at 36 to the bolts 30. Upper surface 38 of the crossbar 34 is provided with a pair of beads or nubs 40 of weld metal disposed along the edges thereof. The function and purpose of these beads or nubs or weld metal will become apparent hereinafter.

The upper threaded ends 32 of the bolts 38 project through openings 42 in a cross shaft 44, the openings 42 being adjacent the outer ends of the cross shaft which is somewhat longer than the width of the loop 28. The cross shaft 44 extends through a hole 46 in the abutment plate 12, the hole 46 being positioned forwardly of center of the plate with its vertical center line slightly to the rear of the abutment surface 18. The horizontal center line of the opening 46 is below the abutment surface 20. The loop 28 is thus positioned best to resist any overturning moment imposed on the stop. A pair of coplanar flattened surfaces 48 surrounding the holes 42 are formed on the cross shaft 44. Hex nuts 50 are threaded onto the outer ends of the bolts 30 and against the flattened faces 48 which provide a substantial bearing area for the nuts 50.

A pair of curved brackets or shelves 52 are welded to the opposite faces of the abutment plate 12. Each bracket has a curved central portion 54 underlying and supporting the cross shaft 44 and integral with a pair of generally triangular outwardly and upwardly extending side portions 56, the side portions 56 extending upwardly and away from the central curved portion 54 at an angle of approximately to the horizontal. The radius or curvature of the portion 54 is preferably equal to the radius of the cross shaft 44 to form a cylindrical bearing surface including 90. As seen in Fig. 5, the central portion of the shelf 52 is so arranged that its lower outer surface is coplanar with the lower edge of the abutment plate 12 and, therefore, if the rail head is somewhat fiattened it rests thereon. The brackets or shelves 52 additionally support the cross shaft 44, and all downward components of forces on the cross shaft are transmitted to the rail through the brackets and the abutment plate 12.

The wheel stops are mounted in pairs adjacent or at the end of a switch track in the manner shown in Fig. 1 with the loop 28 positioned between a pair of ties B and extending below the track and the bolts 30 disposed generally vertically. The cross shaft 44 is inserted through the hole 46 in the abutment plate 12 and turned so that the flat faces 43 are directed upwardly. The assembly of the abutment plate, the shelves 52 and crossbar 44, is lowered to project the upper ends 32 of the bolts 30 through the holes 42 in the crossbar 44. The nuts are threaded onto the upper ends of the bolts 30 and are drawn tightly against the fiat faces 48 to draw the loop upwardly into a tight contact with the underside or lower face of the rail flange. The wheel stop 10 is thus securely clamped to the rail. A second wheel stop is clamped on the other rail A in a similar fashion and positioned so that the abutment surfaces 18 and 20 are aligned with the corresponding abutment surface on the first stop. It is thus observed that it is a very simple matter to install the rigid wheel stop on a track, the use of only a wrench being required to tighten the nuts 50.

When the stops 10 are mounted as described, the wheels of a railway car will contact the abutment surfaces 18 and 20 and under the force of the first impact the wheel stops 10 will be moved slightly rearwardly, the loop 28 rocking or swinging on the cross shaft 44 supported by the shelves 52 and in the opening 46 and on the crossbar 34. The hardened weld metal beads or nubs 40 press into the relatively softer steel of the track and form depressions in which the nubs are retained. This, of course, prevents slipping of the crossbar 34 on the underside of the rail, and the weld metal resists any tendency of the edges of the crossbar to crumble under the great load which is imposed thereon. When the wheel stop has thus been moved slightly the bolts 30 will be positioned so that their upper ends are slightly to the rear of their lower ends (Fig. 10 illustrates the position generally). When a car strikes the stop the clamp assembly tightens up and the rigid wheel stop is wedged on the rail, and under further and repeated impacts from railway cars there will be no additional movement. As a consequence no maintenance is required, since after the wheel stops have been placed into service, they do not move on the track; and the loop 28 is not braced against a supporting tie to absorb the repeated impacts from continuous switching operations and which would have to be reset from time to time.

The rigid wheel stop 10 is readily adaptable to rails of varying heights since the position of the stop proper on top of the rail is always the same and differences in rail heights are compensated for by the relative axial positions of nuts 50 on the bolts 30.

A modified form of rigid wheel stop embodying the principles of the present invention is shown in Figs. 6 to 10, inclusive. In this wheel stop an abutment plate 12 is provided with the abutment surfaces 18 and 20 with the centering devices 16 composed of the U-shaped bars 22 welded to the front and rear edges 24 and 26, respectively, of the abutment plate. Thus the construction of the abutment plate per se is substantially the same as that described with reference to Figs. 1 to 5.

The wheel stop of this modification is fitted with a clamping device 60 comprising a loop 62 and a bracket or shelf assembly 64.

The loop 62 is comprised of a pair of generally vertically extending bolts 66 interconnected at their lower ends by a crossbar 68 which is Welded at 70 to the bolts 66. At their upper ends the bolts are provided with threaded portions 72 onto which nuts 74 are threaded. Along the center of upper face 76 of the crossbar 68 there is welded a low relatively narrow pad of armor plate strip 78 which is centered between the ends of the crossbar and between its forward and trailing edges. The function of this armor plate pad 78 will become apparent hereinafter.

There are two bracket or shelf assemblies 64 welded to opposite faces of the abutment plate 12, and each includes a horizontal substantially rectangular plate 80 having its inner end welded to the face of the abutment plate 12 very close to the lower edge thereof and below the vertical abutment surface 18. The two plates 80 are coplanar, and they have their forward and rear edges in the same line, respectively (Fig. 7). At the forward edge of the plate 80 a generally triangular supporting plate 82 is welded to the plate 80 and to the face of the abutment plate 12. Similarly at its rear edge a somewhat larger generally triangular supportingplate 84 is welded to the plate 80 and to the abutment plate. The position of these two supporting plates and their relative sizes are shown most clearly in Figs. 6, 7 and 8. The assemblies of the plates 80, 82 and 84 constitute very rigid shelf or bracket assemblies and are capable of withstanding very heavy loads since the plates 80, 82 and 84 are of substantial thickness. In the specific modification illustrated the thickness of the plates is the same as that of the abutment plate 12, namely one inch.

On the center line dividing the plate 80 between the front and the rear and adjacent the outer edge thereof, a hole 86 is drilled or otherwise formed. This hole, which is adapted to receive one of the bolts 66, has a substantially larger diameter than the bolt. For example, in the embodiment illustrated the diameter of the hole 86 is one-quarter inch greater than the diameter of the bolt 66. On either side of the hole are welded a pair of relatively narrow and flat armor plate pads 88, each having substantially the same height and width as the pad 78. These pads lie on the previously mentioned center line and form a hinge or pivot point for the loop assembly 62 as will be described presently. These pads are preferably made of armor plate so as to stand up under the loads which are imposed thereon during the car wheel impacts thereby to give the rigid wheel stop a long useful life.

The construction of this rigid wheel stop is obviously very simple, there being very few parts, all of which are easily fabricated. The mounting of this wheel stop on a rail is as simple as its construction and requires only the use of a wrench. The loop 62 is passed beneath the rail A between a pair of adjacent ties B and then positioned so that the crossbar 68 is brought up against the bottom face of the rail flange, so that the bolts 66 project upwardly. The abutment plate 12 with the bracket assemblies 64 welded thereto is lowered onto the rail and the bolts 66 are passed through the holes 86. The nuts 74 are threaded onto the ends 72 of the bolts, and are drawn down firmly against the armor plate pads 88 so that the bolts 66 are substantially vertical and the armor plate pad 78 on the upper surface 76 of the crossbar is driven tightly up against the bottom face of the rail flange. The wheel stop is thus in the position shown in Figs. 6, 7 and 8.

The wheels of a railway car will strike the abutment faces 18 and 20 as described in the previously mentioned reissue patent, and under the load the abutment plate 12 willv be moved rearwardly very slightly. This slight movement is permitted because the loop 62 will rock on the armor plate pads 78 and 88 until the bolts are in the position shown in Fig. 9. The rocking of the bolts 66 in the holes 86 is permitted because the diameter of the holes is larger than the diameter of the bolts; the extent of the rocking movement is limited by the angle at which the bolts can project through the holes. when the loop 62 has been rocked to the position shown in Fig. 9 the nuts 50 and the bottom face of the rail flange will rest on the rear and front edges, respectively, of thewhen tightened against the rail and the stop is subjected to impact, form depressions in the bottom of the rail in which the pads will remain seated until the stops are deliberately removed. Consequently, as in the case with the previous embodiment,- no maintenance expense is necessary.

In Pig. 9 the phantom lines indicate the manner in which the loop 62 accommodates itself to rails of varying heights. The full line shows the loop applied to a rail which is seven inches high and the phantom lines show the application of the same loop and the wheel stop to rails of six, five and four inches high, respectively. It is clearly understood that the same rigid wheel stop may be mounted upon and used with rails of varying heights and even with worn raiiswhere the height is some intermediate dimension.

From the foregoing description it is clear that the wheel stop of this invention is truly rigid and has no parts which will wear so that the stop could slide on the track upon impact. Even if the nuts 58 or 74 loosened the only result would be a slight lengthening of the quadrangle including the side member bolts 38 or 62 and the stop would be thoroughly rigid.

it is clearly apparent that the objectives which are claimed for this invention at the outset of tiis specification are attained. Numerous modifications and changes will suggest themselves to persons skilled in the art and, therefore, it is desired that limitations be imposed only by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed and desired to be secured by United States Letters Patent is:

l. in a rigid wheel stop adapted to be seated upon a rail, a wheel abutment plate seated upon the top of the rail and having at least one wheel abutment surface rising thereabove, shelf forming means connected to and projecting outwardly from said plate on both sides thereof, a loop having a part rockably but not slidably engageable with the underside of the rail and a pair of generally upwardly extending members projecting above said shelf forming means, and means connected to said upwardly extending members and rockably bearing on said shelf forming means and connecting said loop to said abutment plate, so that upon the first contact of a wheel against the stop said loop, will be moved in a clamping direction relative to the rail and to said abutment plate rigidly to clamp the wheel stop on the rail.

2. In a rigid wheel stop adapted to be seated upon a rail, a wheel abutment plate seated upon the top of the rail and having at least one wheel abutment surface rising thereabove, shelf forming means connected to and projecting outwardly from said plate on both sides thereof, a loop having a part rockably but not slidably engageable with the underside of the rail and a pair of generally upwardly eXtending members projecting above said shelf forming means, and means longitudinally adjustably connected to said upwardly extending members and rockably' bearing on said shelf forming means and connecting' said loop to said abutment plate, so that upon the first contact of a wheel against the stop said loop will be moved in a clamping direction relative to the rail and to said abutment plate rigidly to clamp the wheel stop on the rail.

3. In a rigid wheel stop adapted to be seated upon a rail, a wheel abutment providing structure seated upon and rising above the top of the rail, a loop having a part rockably engageable with the underside of the rail, a pair of generally upwardly extending members connected to said part, a rotatable shaft carried by said abutment providing structure and projecting sidewardly there from, shelf-like bearing forming means secured to said structure and cooperable therewith to support the sidewardly extending portions of said shaft, and means securing said generally upwardly extending members to said shaft, so that upon the first contact of a wheel against the stop said loop will be moved in a clamping direction relative to the rail and to said structure rigidly to clamp the wheel stop on the rail.

4. In a rigid wheel stop adapted to be seated upon rail, an abutment plate seated upon the top of the rail and having at least one wheel abutment surface rising thereabove, shelf-like parti-cylindrieal bearing forming means projecting outwardly from said plate on both sides thereof, a rotatable shaft extending through said plate and supported by said bearing means, a pair of generally parallel members connected to said shaft and extending generally downwardly therefrom, and means connected to the lower ends of said members and rockably but not slidably engageable with the underside of the rail, so that upon the first contact of a wheel against the stop said members will be moved in a clamping direction relative to the rail and to said abutment plate rigidly to clamp the wheel stop on the rail.

5. In a rigid wheel stop adapted to be seated upon a rail, a wheel abutment providing structure seated upon and rising above the top of the rail, and means for immovably clamping the stop to the rail, said means including a loop having a part only rockably engageable with the underside of the rail and a pair of generally upwardly extending members, and means including sidewardly projecting means carried by said structure and means rockable thereon connecting said loop to said structure, so that upon the first contact of a wheel against the stop said loop will be moved in a clamping direction relative to the rail and to said structure rigidly to clamp the wheel stop on the rail.

6. In a rigid wheel stop adapted to be seated upon a rail, a wheel abutment providing structure seated upon and rising above the top of the rail, shelf forming means secured to opposite sides of said structure, a part only rockably engageable with the underside of the rail, a pair of generally upwardly extending members connected to said part and means rockably connecting said members to said shelf forming means, so that upon the first contact of a wheel against the stop said members will be moved in a clamping direction relative to the rail and to said structure rigidly to clamp the wheel stop on the rail.

7. In a rigid wheel stop adapted to be seated upon a rail, a wheel abutment providing structure seated upon and rising above the top of the rail, shelf forming means secured to opposite sides of said structure, low hardened pads on the upper surface of said means, a part engageable with the lower face of the rail and including a hardened pad on which said part is rockable, a pair of generally upwardly extending members connected to said part, and means rockable on said low hardened pads connecting said members to said shelf forming means, so that upon the first contact of a wheel against the stop said members will be moved in a clamping direction relative to the rail and to said structure rigidly to clamp the wheel stop on the rail.

8. In a rigid wheel stop adapted to be seated upon a rail, a wheel abutment providing structure seated upon and rising above the top of the rail, shelf forming means secured to opposite sides of said structure, openings through said shelf forming means, low hardened pads on the upper surface of said means adjacent said openings, a part rockably engageable with the underside of the rail, a pair of generally upwardly extending members projecting through said openings, and means rockable on said low hardened pads connecting said members to said shelf forming means, so that upon the first contact of a wheel an opening through each of said shelf plates, a low hardened pad on the upper surface of each shelf plate adja-. cent said openings, a part rockably but not slidably en gageable with the underside of the rail, a pair of generally upwardly extending members connected to said part and extending through said openings and adapted when angularly positioned to engage opposite edges of said openings at the upper and lower surfaces of said shelf plates, and means rockable on said pads longitudinally adjustably connecting said members to said shelf plates, so that upon the first contact of a wheel against the stops said members will be moved within the limits presented by said shelf plates in a clamping direction relative to the rail and to said abutment plate rigidly to clamp the wheel stop on the rail.

10. In a rigid wheel stop adapted to be seated upon a rail, a wheel abutment providing structure seated upon and rising above the top of the rail, and means for immovably clamping the stop to the rail comprising a part only rockably engageable with the underside of the rail, said part including metallic means relatively harder than the rail adapted to form a depression in the rail in which said metallic means is retained, a pair of generally upwardly extending members rigidly connected to said part, and means rockably connecting said members to said structure, so that upon the first contact of a wheel against the stop said members will be moved in a clamping direction relative to the rail and to said structure rigidly to clamp the wheel stop on the rail.

11. In a rigid wheel stop adapted to be seated upon a rail, a wheel abutment plate seated upon and rising above the top of the rail, and means connected to said plate and adapted immovably to clamp the latter to the rail, said means including a pair of generally upstanding members arranged at either side of said plate and the rail and projecting above the rail, means secured to said upstanding members and adapted to underlie the rail, means only rockably connecting the upper ends of said members to said plate, and means relatively harder than the material of which the rail is made secured to said means underlying the rail and adapted to press into the rail material when pressure is applied thereto, whereby the wheel stop is rigidly clamped to the rail.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 703,906 Faulkner July 1, 1902 1,801,917 Hayes Apr. 21, 1931 1,847,792 Stewart Mar. 1, 1932 2,454,500 Bowen Nov. 23, 1948 2,582,970 Dockery et al. Jan. 22, 1952 

